Lok Sabha Speaker’s post witnessed election just twice earlier

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, June 25

In the entire parliamentary history since India attained independence, the post of the Lok Sabha Speaker has seen elections only twice.

Repeat of 1952 this time?

In 1952, Jawaharlal Nehru had declined the Opposition demand for Deputy Speaker’s post in lieu of support to Congress’ Speaker nominee GV Mavalankar

Records show the first election was witnessed in the very first Lok Sabha in 1952 after then PM Jawaharlal Nehru moved a motion to choose GV Mavalankar as the Speaker. Mavalankar faced a contest from Shankar Shantaram More (one of the founders of the Peasants and Workers Party of India) of the Opposition.

At that time, the Opposition had sought the Deputy Speaker’s post in lieu of support to Mavalankar, but the government under Nehru had disregarded the demand. Backing the candidature of More, independent MP Lanka Sundaram had in 1952 said in Lok Sabha, “Is it not a fact that our Constitution and the rules are closely based on the conventions and principles of the Mother of Parliaments, the most exemplary of which is the principle of unanimity of election of the presiding officers?… We should do everything in our power to establish healthy and enduring principles of procedure. May I therefore suggest that there should be a brief adjournment to consult and arrive at an agreed form… The motion from this side (Opposition) would be withdrawn if the name suggested by it for the post of Deputy Speaker would be acceptable to the Treasury benches. There would be complete unanimity for both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.” Mavalankar was declared elected as Speaker in 1952. The motion for More did not even come up for voting as the motion to elect Mavalankar was carried.

Later in 1976, then PM Indira Gandhi moved a motion to choose BR Bhagat as Speaker. Then Bhavnagar MP, PM Mehta of Congress moved a motion backing Jana Sangh’s Jagannath Joshi for the post. Bhagat won the election.